Depression is a mental health disorder, diagnosed when feelings of low mood combined with a loss of interest in engaging in normal activities become severe and cause significant impacts on daily life. According to the World Health Organization, more than 264 million people are affected by depression. There are many different known causes, and the classifications range from mild, moderate to severe, generally determined by the degree of presenting symptoms.
Depression may cause a person to feel a range of emotions from feeling sad, irritable, or unhappy, to feeling a lack of confidence and complete debilitating overwhelm. These emotions are often associated and compounded by negative automatic faulty thoughts such as "Things will never get better", "I'm useless" or even "the world would be better without me"
So, what can you do if you are worried about becoming depressed? Well, first it is important to know that even if you come from a long line of depressed family members, genetics alone do not determine whether you will one day be at risk for depression.
Genetics may influence your predisposition to become depressed, however, environmental factors such as early life experiences in the form of childhood trauma, grief and loss, or illness also play their part. So, if external factors impact your predisposition to becoming depressed, then perhaps they can also influence your ability to heal from clinical depression, and this has been found to be the case through the study of epigenetics. Epigenetics: the study of the mechanisms that turn gene expression on and off, gives you back some control to influence your genetic expression.
We know that our genes play a pivotal part in our health outcomes, but so are our behaviours, environmental factors and most importantly, our focus of attention which all play a part in gene expression. In simple terms, what this means is that although we can't change our genes, we can influence the expression of them by the environmental signals coming in, which regulate them, resulting in them either turning on or turning off. The important message here is you are not your genes!
When we combine this scientific principle with another equally powerful one, that of Neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to change its structure and function in response to new sensory stimulation or information, we begin to discover how we can create optimal outcomes despite our genome.
We know that the human species has a negative bias; we are wired this way because historically we needed to be alert to danger, for the survival of the species, but this negative bias can be consciously influenced and over time changed by the processes of epigenetics and neuroplasticity.
So how do we change our negative bias, which can sometimes lead to depression? The daily practice of Gratitude has been shown to have a beneficial effect on mental health and well-being. I often ask my clients to begin their day with five things they are grateful for when they open their eyes in the morning. This can be as simple as I am grateful for my warm bed, a cup of coffee or a roof over my head. I also ask them, at the end of the day, to reflect on what went well that day. All too often we focus on what went wrong, even if 95% of the day was good, due to the negative bias we will often ruminate over the negative 5%.
When we commence the day with thoughts of gratitude and end the day with a positive focus, we begin the process of firing and rewiring the neuroplastic brain for more positivity. There is a saying in neuroscience that is important to remember here: HEBBS RULE: Neurons that fire together wire together, and repetition is the key. We need to repeatedly interrupt the old patterns of thinking and feeling. This is done by the conscious awareness of where we allow, and direct, our powerful thoughts to go.
"I can't stop feeling this way"…. I hear you say. For many, this feels true, and will in fact be true, while you continue to believe it is. The brain, at times, seems to have a mind of its own, and despite not wanting to, we can often find ourselves ruminating over sadness, mistakes or traumas of the past. The "would of", "should of", "could of" thoughts that can lead us straight back down the rabbit hole into the dark abyss, because where the mind goes the body will certainly follow. When we think sad thoughts, our body will instantly respond with a release of chemicals directly related to that thought, and before you know it you begin to feel exactly the way you were just thinking. In depression, this response has become hardwired.
It is essential to challenge these old and out-of-date beliefs, thoughts and feelings. You can do this by saying to yourself, 'in the past I felt like I couldn't stop, but today I am aware, I can choose something else'.
Awareness is the key to change. I tell my clients as soon as they are aware of anything, be it, a negative or limiting thought, a debilitating feeling or self-defeating behaviour, they then have a choice; to accept, believe or repeat the detrimental thought, feeling or behaviour or to challenge it and choose something else. We know that our thoughts create our feelings and influence our outcomes, so it is important to challenge the negative thoughts by asking:
- Have I thought this many times before?
- Is there anything to be gained by thinking about it again?
- Is the thought based on fear or fact?
- Is this thought helpful?
If the answer to the last question is no, the task is to change your focus by taking a breath. Ensure the exhalation is twice as long as the inhalation, like a big sigh of relief. Relax your shoulders as you exhale, and direct your focus on something that brings a smile to your face; a loved one, a child, a pet or a place in nature. Allow yourself to become fully immersed in your redirected thoughts and really connect to a feeling of gratitude for this person, place or thing.
Each time you do this, on a neurological level, you are interrupting the old program and creating and strengthening a different response. The part of your mind that changes habits, does not differentiate between a good habit or a bad one, be it thought, feeling or behaviour, it just strengthens what you focus on, as it also simultaneously weakens the old pathway that is now getting less traffic. It does this by neurologically pruning the "old responses" the neural pathway, by removing the neurotransmitters that have kept it firing, and transferring them to the new pathway that you have created by your new repetitive response. Remember Hebb's Rule!
Now we know that thoughts create feelings, emotions and influence behaviours, and we know you are in control of your thoughts, even though sometimes it hasn't felt that way, you can change the way you feel moment to moment, and in doing so you will rewire your brain for more positivity. The effect of this rewiring is that more happy hormones, such as; dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins, will be released into your body and you will feel better.
So remember The steps to challenging automatic negative thoughts, feelings or behaviours.
- Step One: Awareness
- Step Two: Challenge
- Step Three: Interrupt the pattern and change the focus
Repetition is the key. We need to retrain the brain, just as you would train the body if you wanted to run a marathon or sculpt muscles. However, in the same way as a muscle will lose its sculpting, or a body will become unfit for running a marathon if training ceases, the mind will also revert to old habits if training stops. People often begin to feel better and then stop these practices that have led to them feeling good in the first place.
The important take-home message is these need to be your daily practices.
Remember
- Awareness of where you place your thoughts moment by moment is pivotally important
- You are not your thoughts
- As soon as you are aware, you have a choice of what to do next
- A focus on gratitude will help to change the brains negative bias
- Notice and reflect on what is working and going well in your life
- You are not your genes
- Remember Hebb's Rule: Neurons that wire together fire together
- Your brain is neuroplastic and ready for change
- Repetition is vital for rewiring
- Practice Practice Practice
- Believe you can
So, we have established that you can rewire your brain for more positivity.
The question then is: When will you begin?
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/disease/epigenetics.htm
Depression explained - Better Health Channel
https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/
Depression (who.int)
